The new breed: Donald Macdonald and the Trudeau era

The 'wise men' in power: Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau (second from left) wearing dark glasses, arrives with members of his new cabinet for swearing in ceremonies at Government House in Ottawa, July 6, 1968. Left to right are: James Richardson, minister without portfolio, D.C. Jamieson, (partly hidden), minister without portfolio, Trudeau, Justice Minister John Turner, Jean Marchand, Forestry Minister, and Gerard Pelletier, State Secretary. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Doug Ball

This is an excerpt from Chapter 7 of Donald Macdonald’s political memoir, Thumper. In it, he recounts how the year 1965 saw a changing of the guard in the Liberal party.

At home, the Liberal Party was undergoing a necessary renewal. Fresh policies can have an impact, but new people are the best way to bring about organizational change. The three who would revolutionize politics and revitalize the country like no others who had gone before were Jean Marchand, Gérard Pelletier and Pierre Elliott Trudeau.

While the Union Nationale government of Maurice Duplessis was debating jurisdictional matters with Ottawa, some young Quebecers preferred full independence. As they became more strident, Gérard Pelletier found himself increasingly at odds with the separatist view. As editor of La Presse, he wanted change, too, but he believed change could be achieved by a Quebec within Confederation. In response to his views, separatists burned Pelletier in effigy. After a bitter strike at the newspaper, he was fired as editor in 1964.

At the same time, Jean Marchand, president of the Confederation of National Trade Unions, was also worried about increased tensions between Quebec and Ottawa. In Marchand’s opinion, francophone leadership in Quebec was becoming less effective. He began to consider running for Parliament.

Marchand, Pelletier and Trudeau had forged a friendship during the violent Asbestos Strike in 1949 by standing together against provincial police sent in by Premier Duplessis. Over a bottle of Scotch, Marchand and Pelletier convinced Trudeau to join them in running for Parliament. In 1970, Pierre told a group of us during lunch at 24 Sussex Drive, “It was the only occasion in my life when I became tight on Scotch.” Marchand took the occasion to admit that he drank ginger ale — the first time Pierre learned that his friend stayed sober to make the case.

All three were elected in November 1965. In Quebec, they were known as ‘Les Trois Colombes’ (The Three Doves), and in English Canada as the ‘Three Wise Men’. Jean was appointed to the cabinet as minister of citizenship and immigration, while Gérard, Pierre and I were named parliamentary secretaries.

Paul Martin Sr. was twenty-nine years older than I and treated me like a son. In the fall of 1966, Paul took me to New York as part of the Canadian delegation to the United Nations. On the first morning, he phoned my hotel room at 6:30 a.m. and asked, ‘Well, what’s happening?’ I remember thinking, ‘Well, what could be happening at this hour?’

After the election, Doug Fisher did some cabinet-making in one of his Toronto Telegram columns. Among his choices were Pierre— who he described as “a literate, well-spoken Canadian nationalist” — and me, saying I was “aggressive and bright.” Writing in Maclean’s, Fisher further declared I was among the six most effective MPs, calling me “superbly prepared” and a young man “with a wide range of interests.”

Two writers at the Montreal Star also cited me as an up-and-comer. Leslie Roberts predicted I would either be minister of justice or president of the Privy Council. After suggesting several candidates for prime minister, James Stewart wrote: “Below these men is a layer of young, talented and modern politicians who must be given at least an outside chance at the leadership.” I was on that list, too.

In fact, I was three years away from cabinet, but Gérard and I were both parliamentary secretaries to the secretary of state for external affairs, Paul Martin Sr. It was unusual for a minister to have two parliamentary secretaries. Gérard was designated to look after francophone relations while I was responsible for the balance of the departmental duties.

Paul was twenty-nine years older than I and treated me like a son. We’d both been born in Ottawa and had travelled the same academic path: University of Toronto, Osgoode Hall, Harvard and Cambridge. In the fall of 1966, Paul took me to New York as part of the Canadian delegation to the United Nations. On the first morning, he phoned my hotel room at 6:30 a.m. and asked, “Well, what’s happening?” Fortunately, I’m a morning person and was up and around, but I remember thinking, “Well, what could be happening at this hour?”

As the early-morning calls continued, I realized that Paul just liked to talk about all sorts of topics all the time. Little wonder. He knew everyone in the diplomatic community, had been involved in all the important international meetings since the founding of the United Nations in 1945, and always had a thoughtful opinion on events of the day.

I gave several speeches at the UN on numerous subjects, including marine resources, sovereignty over natural resources, and trade and economic development. “The international community has grasped more clearly than ever before that development is a co-operative endeavour. Translated to the aid field this means that donor countries must make greater and more determined efforts to expand the volume and improve the terms of assistance they extend. But it also means that recipient countries must do more to ensure that those limited human and financial resources are used with maximum effectiveness,” I said on October 7. “From industrialized nations there should come initiatives designed to enhance the capacity of developing countries to take full advantage of expanding world trade.”

I urged improved access for exports from developing countries, supplementary financing, stable markets through international agreements on commodities such as sugar and cocoa, and technical assistance to accelerate industrialization.

Donald Macdonald’s career in public life spanned four decades and included posts as House leader, minister of national defence, minister of energy, and minister of finance. He chaired the landmark Royal Commission on the Economic Union and Development Prospects for Canada, which led to free trade between Canada and the United States, and as High Commissioner to the United Kingdom he conferred with Margaret Thatcher and dined with Queen Elizabeth II. Thumper — a candid behind-the-scenes account of the business of governing — is published by McGill-Queen’s University Press and available in bookstores October 18, 2014.

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